UK - Digidesign has launched a complete redesign of its corporate website located at www.digidesign.com. Built using the latest web technologies, the new site features an improved navigation system and media-rich content - including My Digi profiles, 360° product views, Icon Empowered Studios, interactive console overviews and more.

By signing up for a free My Digi profile, users can customize some content of Digidesign.com based on preferences they control. For example, users can filter press releases to get the latest information on products of interest, manage subscriptions to newsletters and e-mail blasts, keep track of Digidesign events, retrieve DigiStore order history, and even register hardware and software online. In the future, My Digi will offer alerts when new soft

Hong Kong - Artistic Licence is pleased to announce the launch of Artistic Licence Hong Kong. The new office provides a sales, projects and support hub for Southeast Asia. The Hong Kong office is building a dealer network throughout the region. While the network evolves, the Hong Kong office will handle direct sales to territories not yet serviced by local dealers. The new office will also provide a very high level of support for product integration including full system design and technical support.

Managing director Wayne Howell comments: "Artistic Licence has always been strong in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific. Setting up an office in Hong Kong is the next step and allows us to build market share by doing what we do best: supporting our customers and dealers.

The Hong Kong office will focus on dealer support and training plus project management. Large-scale project d

Belgium - Barco has unveiled three new HD projectors for rental and staging applications. The FLM HD18 and FLM HD14 answer the need for high brightness native HD projection in large venues, whereas the XLM HD30 is ideally suited for projecting HD images in ultra-wide-screen applications.

Realizing the variety of applications for widescreen HD projection, Barco had added two new members to its FLM family of compact, 3-chip DLP projectors, the FLM HD18 and FLM HD14. The FLM HD18 delivers native HD (1920 x 1080) at 18,000 centre lumens brightness output in a compact and lightweight chassis. The FLM HD18 boosts fully sealed optics and impressive lamp maintenance ensuring an overall lower cost of ownership, say the company.

The FLM HD14 with its 14,000 centre lumens brightness output, is optimized for wide screen applications which demand - not only high brightness - but also extre

featured content

Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

UK - Due to the continuous worldwide demand for V-Dosc, Japan and Poland have decided to invest in the genre. Based in Tokyo, Hibino Sound Division has earned the praise of major artists in Japan and around the world owing to their specific knowledge of concert venues throughout the country as well as mixing and mastering. Hibino sales manager Mr Ryoichi Hashimoto explains: "We can meet the needs of virtually any client with our 27 teams of trained professionals, and we have sufficient equipment to stage events simultaneously at four different stadiums and two arenas."

Hibino Sound Division is in a position to provide sound systems for a wide variety of other applications, such as public or corporate events and exhibitions, special movie previews and so forth.

Fotis Sound is the new V-Dosc Partner for Poland. Founded in 1979 in Poznan, the company has established a s

UK - Pro audio manufacturer, Allen & Heath, will be introducing the new live sound iLive digital mixing console system to the theatre market at this year's ABTT show.

The heart of the system is the iDR-64, a 19" rack-mounting modular mix engine providing 64 channels into 32 mixes. The iDR-64 is a stand-alone mixer comprising the 8-channel audio interface cards, DSP processing, and communication ports. The unit is controlled via an Ethernet network and can be connected to a variety of controllers, including Allen & Heath's PL range of remote units, a laptop/PC, and a range of new iLive control surfaces.

Exhibiting on Stand 14 in the Lindley Hall, Allen & Heath will also have the GL series of multi-purpose consoles, and compact MixWizard range on display. There will be a Grand Draw on the first day of the show to win a WZ³20S compact stereo mixer (worth over £1000).

UK - First published in 1952, the New Musical Express, or NME, has always based its success around being the champion of new and emerging rock music. It was the first organisation to publish a British singles chart some 54 years ago and since 1953 has organised regular awards and poll-winners concerts across the UK with the aim of promoting tomorrows big stars in front of an ever demanding audience.

This spring's New Music Awards Tour, consisted of four bands per night playing 13 venues over 18 nights. The headline act were the London-based quartet Boy Kill Boy; described by NME recently as "like The Smiths splitting half a disco biscuit with Hard-Fi in the Hacienda gents". Amidst the frenzy on stage for much of this new band tour was monitor engineer Stan Saunders, sporting not only a new haircut but the equally new Yamaha M7CL mixing console.

"I first saw the

USA - Bowling Green State University's Doyt L. Perry Stadium celebrated its 40th anniversary with a newly renovated scoreboard and sound system. Remarkably, the 28,000-plus park is now amply covered by only five Community R6-51 loudspeakers, all hidden behind a mesh screen in the new scoreboard.

The new system was installed by Torrence Sound of Perrysburg, Ohio, who also provided EASE modelling and consultation for Toledo-based JDRM Engineering, who designed and engineered the fibre-optic based system.

A single Community R6 in the centre fires down to the far end of the field, with two more on either side covering the left and right seating areas.

Crown CTs3000 amplifiers, monitored and controlled via their IQ network, power the system from a single weatherproof enclosure under the scoreboard, and a Media Matrix system provides deep control over routing and signal processing

UK - First-time visitors to ETC's new offices on a north Acton trading estate are in for a surprise: behind the industrial facade is one of a different kind - a Victorian theatre that threatens to out-match Matcham. Probably the first themed corporate reception area in the UK, the affectionately named 'Playhouse at Gypsy Corner' is the brainchild of ETC's CEO, Fred Foster, and follows on from the Town Square atrium at the company's US headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin.

"The idea behind Town Square, which is based on the paintings of Edward Hopper, was to have an informal meeting place for staff and visitors that acknowledged the industry we work in - the theatre," explains Foster. "Although at Acton we have far fewer employees than in America - 25 as against 450 - I wanted the same sense of place and the same great way of presenting our products."

Using

UK - A conference in early July will look at the moving image in the public environment. The conference will explore the potential use of the moving image in the visual arena of public spaces and the creation of large-scale permanent artwork for the public environment. The combination of new technology and creative thinking on urban design has evolved a canvas for new and emergent digital media, interactive art, outdoor screens, external cinema and responsive architecture.

Key professional practitioners working in the area of contemporary new media and the design and management of the public realm will present current practical experience, projects and research in the fields of art, architecture, urban studies and digital culture. The conference will examine the growing infrastructure of giant public screens and external moving image displays that are becoming a major aspect of

UK - UK lighting sales company Lightfactor will use ABTT as a platform to launch the new Synthesis Spot 700 moving light from Italian moving light manufacturer SGM.

The Synthesis Spot 700 is the first of a new generation of moving head fixtures designed and manufactured by SGM for cutting edge professional applications.

Onboard wireless DMX is fitted as standard and protection against rogue power supplies of up to 380 Volts are just two features of this fixture. The 700 Watt HTI lightsource has the potency of a 1200W light source, and there's the option of two different types of lamp for colour temperatures of either 7200°K or 5600°K. Other features include automatic hot re-strike, colour mixing, a very precise linear dimmer, animation wheel, and automatic electronic pan/tilt unlocking. There will be a hands-on demo of this product on the stand.

SGM's Giotto Spot 400

UK - A.C. Lighting will be using the ABTT show to launch final production models of the new Chroma-Q Color Web and Jands Vista S3 lighting products to customers in the South of England.

Since its recent launch, the Chroma-Q Color Web has received an enormous amount of interest and been used by several leading rental companies on various high profile concerts, TV shows and corporate events.

Featuring a unique modular design, the 1sq.m, colour-mixing RGB LED panels provide designers with unlimited flexibility when it comes to displaying low-resolution visual effects and were developed in response to the lack of transparency and modularity in existing lighting and video systems.

The just launched Jands Vista S3 provides a fully operational Vista console when connected to a PC running the Vista software and fitted with a separately purchased software unlock key for output via et

Germany - Charter Broadcast reports it is continuing its successful relationship with ITV and the FIFA World Cup following a competitive tender against a number of suppliers. This most recent commission to work with ITV will be third consecutive World Cup that Charter has been invited to work on. Charter is responsible for building and running the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) for ITV which forms the hub of ITV's coverage in Germany.

The senior project engineer at Charter Broadcast, Roy Callow has been involved in the event planning and will remain on site to as an operational engineer to ensure the smooth running of service. The main challenge is that this will be the first time that content will be produced in High Definition (HD) for ITV's HD trial. Charter will be managing the logistics for all the requirements of the world's feeds however some of this will be in S

UK - Cadac Electronics plc has appointed Sebastian Song to distribute its full range of audio mixing systems in Singapore and Malaysia. The choice was made on the basis of Song's extensive audio experience, combined with an innovative distribution approach. This emphasises a hands-on focus on product education and training, providing an innovative balance that offers clear advantages throughout this region in the development of effective applications for Cadac's high quality product range.

Commenting on his appointment, Sebastian Song explained: "With Cadac's 19" Digital Series rack devices, such as the D16, M16, F16 and X16, there is tremendous scope to broaden Cadac's appeal beyond the traditional live performance sector. We believe that recording studios and applications requiring comprehensive signal distribution can also benefit from Cadac's exceptional audio qual

USA - Lighting industry veteran Steve Hoffman has announced the creation of his new company, GoboMan, the first primarily online gobo lighting distributor. GoboMan is the joint effort of Steve and Rebel L. Hoffman, both of whom previously worked for GamProducts Inc.

"GoboMan's mission is simple. We wanted to make ordering gobos as painless and simple as possible. That along with great customer service and unbeatable prices, is our blueprint," said Steve Hoffman. "We felt that there was a need for an affordable and more accessible collection of gobos made up of the designs used in everyday theatrical lighting situations," he added.

GoboMan's unique attraction is that unlike the rest of the Gobo industry, customers will not be required to or order in minimums. To keep prices economical, the Hoffmans decided not to publish a printed catalogue, but instead offe

UK - Sound Leisure Retail (SLR) will be back at this year's In-Store Show at Earls Court with a wider range of display products than ever before. New products will include the Soundpipe - a compact 50W amplifier, both practical and good value, designed specifically for the retail sector. Sound Points are POS (point of sale) dish-shaped affordable loudspeakers, also brand new at the show.

SLR has developed its expertise with the popular ClearSound shop window transducers and is now offering the Tulip Sound transducer which can be tuned to suit individual windows to offer the best performance. SLR will also show the KBS system, a through-glass touchscreen which allows a retail outlet to interact with customers, even when closed. Also on show willl be the Audio Searchlight, which can send an audio message 20m from its source in a narrow beam of sound.

SLR has also extended its ra

UK - Audio-Technica Ltd. announces the forthcoming arrival of the next generation of its Artist Series microphones. Based on 40-plus years of research and development, and re-engineered from the ground up, the Artist Series features some innovative microphones, in addition to upgrades of classic models, offering a comprehensive selection of vocal, instrument and drum mics.

Inspired by consultations with touring artists and sound engineers who rely on Audio-Technica microphones, Audio-Technica engineers have turned "what ifs" into "why nots" as seen in the ATM250DE dual-element kick drum mic, and the ATM450 side-address condenser designed for flexible placement.

According to Audio-Technica, the vocal mics set industry standards in intelligibility, detailed reproduction and noise suppression. The new instrument mics feature a fast transient response and low d

Italy - Milan-based audio and communications distribution specialists, Exhibo SpA, have recently been named EAW distributor for Italy.

EAW's European sales manager, Sean Martin, says: "I'm delighted to report that since their appointment, Exhibo has already become one of EAW's highest performing distributors in Europe. The company had already proved itself as an experienced pro audio distributor with the Sennheiser brand, which they've carried for 50 years. An added bonus came in the form of Edoardo Ravelli, who was responsible for the EAW brand at our previous distributor, Audium. Edoardo had always been extremely successful in Italy with EAW, but the owner of Audium decided to take a well-earned retirement, so we had no choice but to look for a new distributor. The combination of Exhibo and Edoardo, in addition to the professionalism and expertise of his colleague, Bruno

USA - American DJ has upgraded the performance of its popular DJ Scan 250, while maintaining its price. The newly upgraded DJ Scan 250 HP, like its predecessor, is an affordable, easy-to-use DMX scanner that gives mobile DJs the ability to take an exciting and professional-looking intelligent light show on the road, say the company. However, its major improvements include a high-quality Philips 250W lamp, selectable fast and slow built-in programs and a more lightweight plastic case design.

The improved lamp improves the performance of the unit's seven dichroic colours (plus white), increasing the level of excitement in any venue where mobile DJs work their magic.The new lamp also boosts the intensity of the DJ Scan 250 HP's 10 all-new gobo patterns (plus spot), designed by American DJ. Some of the gobos have an edgy, high-tech appearance, while others evoke softer, mellower ima

UK - The HSL Group exhibited at ABTT for the second year, reflecting the growing importance of theatre and performing arts markets for the company, one of the busiest and fastest growing lighting rental operations in the UK. HSL highlighted its experience in the theatrical world and its wide equipment inventory.

The company says it has built its reputation on progressive thinking, the provision of innovative solutions, efficient and dedicated service, quality equipment and experienced designers, engineers and technicians to a diverse range of projects. HSL's work encompasses theatre, live events, concert tours, festivals, television productions, corporate presentations, son et lumières, spectaculars, parties and special events of all types.

The company has a comprehensive stock of the latest lighting technology from all the leading industry manufacturers and brands. Items are

South Africa - Located in the chic, affluent suburb of Lonehill, Sequoias is undoubtedly one of Johannesburg's hottest openings of the year. Owner Shelley Chadwick, a South African ex-pat now living in Washington, USA, conceptualised the new venue by drawing inspiration from the likes of legendary clubs worldwide such as PURE in Las Vegas, Red Square in Russia, and Tangerine in the UK. The result is the ultimate cocktail and dining experience enhanced by a state-of-the-art EAW audio system installed by the area's premier pro audio specialist, Surgesound.

The architecture and design concept of the new venue is stunning, including a bar counter made of solid ice, which keeps the cocktails cool while patrons enjoy the spectacular views across Johannesburg. Chadwick was determined to install an audio system that would do her new venture justice. "Whilst living in the US, I had

India - As India has evolved into a major economic and technological player on the world stage, the country has also become a musical and cultural force to be reckoned with. The Bollywood cinema industry rivals that of the United States, and the new sounds of Bhangra music are filling dance floors on several continents.

It's still a two-way street, though, with the influence of Western music continuing to grow in India and an increasing number of international artists including stops on the Indian subcontinent in their itineraries. One of the country's major concert production suppliers is Reynold Sound and Lighting Services, a company founded in Bangalore by Felix Remedios in 1981 as a branch of Calcutta-based musical instrument manufacturer J Reynold and Company. Reynold's pro audio division, headed by sound engineer Michael Furtado, has provided sound for an ever-growing seri

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